I Kissed a girl And I liked it
by Gabriel-San
Summary: One day on the savannah, at the border of vibrance and desolation, the Tomboy Princess met the Right Paw of Darkness. Vitani and Kiara try to figure out what commonality lies between them, if any does at all. Part four: The end, for better or for worse.
1. I kissed a girl

"**I kissed a girl (And I liked it)"**

**By: Gabriel LaVedier**

_**Greetings my fine friends. As you may, or may not, know, I love female/female pairings. I can't get enough of the tender, beautiful, touching, often tragic connections between girls in love. And yes, I know this story is named after one of the biggest party-bi songs out there. But, listen, I scrounge for what I can. Before they invented Strawberry Panic and Kashimashi I was digging for subtext in every damn frame of Utena, Card Captor Sakura and whatever else I could find. "I kissed a girl" works for me. Especially since I saw it used in a Lion King video. Here is the beginning. The tomboy princess and the right hand of darkness. They have nothing in common. At all. Maybe.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. I claim no infringement.**_

**Chapter One: I kissed a girl**

A new day dawned over the Pridelands, glorious and golden as every other day they were pleased to get. The tall grass waved in the slight breeze, imitating water from a distance. The herds stirred and began the task of milling and browsing, ready to spring into action the very moment their kind and benevolent rulers came around to slaughter and eat them.

Kiara, princess of Pride Rock and heiress to all the light touched, plus the elephant graveyard since the exile of the interlopers, trotted along in the company of her guards and companions, uncle Timon and uncle Pumbaa. Being childless, they were most often tapped for babysitting duty. But it was alright. They had a lot of funny stories to tell about living in the jungle, raising Simba.

"Are you sure I can't go see the outlands?" Kiara practically bounced on her paws as she looked out into the barren wastes. Empty wasteland to most, adventure central to her.

"Now Kiara, even though we raised him from a little cub, and gave him everything, and treated him like he was our own flesh and blood, we've gotta listen to Simba. Firstly, because he's king and it's what we do here. Secondly, and most importantly, he could eat us both in a single bite." Timon, from atop his perch on Pumbaa's head, recited his orders, and his reason for obeying his "son's" directive.

"Besides, it's dangerous out there. You could get hurt. Or killed, or eaten by one of those outland lions. Best to just stay away." Pumbaa cast a worried glance over the dusty outlands, and shuddered.

"Alright." Kiara slumped onto the lush grass, looking back over the expanse of dust.

"There we go! All settled. Now, don't you worry, princess. Pumbaa here'll come up with something just right to keep you good and entertained."

"Me? But, Timon, it's your turn to think of something for Kiara to do."

"Au contraire, my porcine praline, if you will recall…" Timon deftly leaped off of Pumbaa's head and landed right in front of his face. "I had all the ideas the last few times. It's your turn."

"It is not! I thought up everything, you just said you did it. Come on Timon." Pumbaa gently nudged the meerkat with his snout, looking to him with big, moist eyes.

"Awww, put away the water works. I'll tell ya what, you do it this time and I've got it for the next few days."

"That's still not fair!" The two settled into a comfortable routine of arguing, always on the edge of a full-blown fight, but equally on the edge of a tender reconciliation. Their temperaments complimented one another and had grown into each other so well they knew just how to fight without truly fighting.

Under the cover of debate, Kiara managed to slip away, checking over her shoulder constantly, until the rise of a hill put her caretakers well out of sight. With the two of them out of the way she dashed off, digging her claws into the scrubby grass on the edge of the outlands, aiming her adventurous heart towards the rising mounds of baked dirt and parched vegetation.

As she ran into the territory proper she could see the change. It was as clear a line as any she could imagine. From live, if dense and scrubby, grass underpaw she found only bare earth and dust shifting under her claws. Instead of the sounds of life and activity, she heard only an eerie silence. And all around there were termites, moving about without hesitation. Kiara thought well just how fearful they would become if Timon and Pumbaa could see the movable feast just crawling around everywhere.

"Hold it, Pridelander." The command was firm, but the voice was soft. The words flowed through silky lips with a gentle purr folded into them; to make even a directive seem like a most beautiful thing. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"What? Who's there?" Kiara skidded to an ungainly halt, nearly pitching forward onto her face and raising up a small cloud of dust. She took a look around and found the owner of the voice right in front of her.

The lioness who had spoken was a cub, just like her. She looked thin, but tough. Her fur was dusty, darker than coats which were common in the Pridelands. A small tuft topped her head, and her eyes were ringed in darkness. Eyes of a shocking, piercing and almost impossible blue. "Me. What are you doing in the Outlands, Pridelander?"

Kiara blushed, deep and hot, when seeing who had confronted her. "I… I, um… I wanted to see it. To see what it was like here."

"Why?" The stranger leaned in, an eye ridge up, but a pleasant smirk just barely lifting the corners of her mouth.

"Because it's… Exciting. It's new, it's different, it's not home. I want to see everything I can, even out here."

"It's not all fun and games, you know. It's hardly any fun and games." A serious look crossed the stranger's face, her body moving closer, face nearly touching Kiara's. "What is your name, Pridelander?" The question came out as a growl, a quiet menace behind it.

"My name is Ki… Kiara…" A shiver ran through Kiara as she answered. She didn't know why she told, or why she remained. But she was stuck. Trapped there, staring at those eyes. The large, luminous eyes. Right before her. They transfixed her, utterly.

"Kiara…" The purr was back, deeper than before, as the name was rolled through the stranger's lips; it almost sounded as though she was tasting it, savoring the sound of the name. A smile crossed her features, as the distance between the two of them vanished inside of a heartbeat. Cool, calm blue eyes stared into wide, wavering green ones, which could only cross and look down, to try and see the spot where lips met. The kiss lasted only a few short seconds. A brief eternity to the unprepared girl. "My name is Vitani."

No sound emerged from Kiara's slightly-open mouth. Her breath was caught in her throat, her mouth felt like it was filled with sand, and all she could do was stare. "Vitani?" The name slipped out at last, a weak, shivering sound, all that could be mustered.

"Vitani." The other lioness repeated, dropping her front and lifting her hindquarters, giving them a slow wave. Without warning she made a bold leap, over Kiara's head. She landed silently and broke into a run. "Come on! Catch me if you can!"

For a good amount of time Kiara only stared. She had no idea what else to do. The other cub was running around madly, expecting the chase to be joined at any minute, and making certain she was prepared for it. It looked so… Fun. And that was why she was out there. Kiara unfastened her limbs from the ground, shook her head and went for the other lioness. "Oh, I'll catch you! Just you wait…"

They played for what seemed like hours, on that small patch of borderland, inside the Pridelands, inside the Outlands, never caring either way where they stood; They cared only for their game, and for the fun they had together. Soon enough, however, the sun grew low in the sky, and shadows began to cast themselves over the ground. "I should get home. It's getting late." Kiara halted in mid-stride, taking note of a shadow as though for the very first time.

"Are you sure? Maybe no one will notice you're gone." Vitani trotted up beside the other cub, sitting herself down comfortably.

"Oh, they'll notice. I'm amazed they let me stay this long. Don't worry. I'll come back and see you. Tomorrow. Here?"

Vitani nodded to the idea, and smiled her brightest smile. "Tomorrow." She leaned in and made all distance fade into nothing. Her lips touched Kiara's again, while a purr thrummed through her chest. "Here…" She whispered, breath passing over Kiara's trembling lips.

"S-see you then, Vitani…" The young princess turned and ambled, rubber-legged back towards the Pridelands proper.

With a nod and a bright smile, Vitani softly responded, "See you then, Kiara."

"Alright! You forced us to do this!" The next day. Nearly identical to the previous day. The sun, the breeze, the party from Pride Rock going out onto the Savannah. But this time, the princess was watched by the meerkat and warthog pair. Constantly. "Simba really gave us a talking to over you getting away from us for a whole day. This time, we're gonna keep an eye on you. Wait…" Timon started calculating things on his fingers, muttering as he went along. "Make that four eyes. Pumbaa, keep your eyes on her. And I'll keep my eyes on her. And if you have to blink, do it one at a time."

"What happens if I sneeze? My eyes close then, too. I can't just hold it in, or…"

"Don't say it, Pumbaa, I get the picture. If you have to sneeze, tell me. I'll watch double-hard. In fact, if we both watch double-hard, that makes it like eight eyes. Then if we do one-eyed blinks, that's still like keeping six eyes on her at all times. It's brilliant! Yea, I'm a genius."

"Uh, Timon?" Pumbaa lifted a hoof to lightly poke his friend in the side.

"Don't distract me, Pumbaa, I'm keeping careful watch."

"Careful watch on what?" The area was empty, save for the two of them. In the middle of Timon's figuring and Pumbaa's distracted attention, Kiara had given them the slip.

"Ok, here's my new plan. We tell Simba that she found herself a nice, new home and that she won't NEED to come back. That should work, right?"

Away from Timon and Pumbaa, Kiara ran, fast and reckless, tumbling down small hills and through tall grass, to meet her new friend and playmate, the mysterious and curious Vitani. She was so friendly. Too friendly. At least, Kiara thought with a blush, she was playful.

Vitani was there, just waiting for her, her deep, blue eyes fixed on the arriving princess. She ran out to meet Kiara, halting the cub right on the border of Outlands and Pride lands , with another kiss. Kiara remained shocked, but didn't fight it. There was a tenderness to the touch of lips. Something sincere and warm. "I'm glad you came. I was worried."

"W-worried?" Kiara's head swam after the kiss, and she had no idea why. She only knew that it had been beautiful. "Why were you worried?"

"It's not easy making friends in the Outlands. And I want to be friends." Vitani casually sauntered back into the Outlands, Kiara following close behind. "I want to be… Special best friends with you, Kiara."

"I'd like that. You're lots of fun. Maybe sometime you can take me in there, and show me what it's like."

"Oh Kiara… You just don't understand. It's not worth seeing. I live here because I must. We can play on the border, that's adventure enough."

"Oh…" The princess looked down for a moment, scratching at the dry ground. Then she took off, dashing at Vitani, who began to run and dodge the pursuit. "Well… Tell me about yourself! If we're going to be best friends, we have to know about each other. Tell me about your family."

The question seemed to hit the darkling cub like a wildebeest, stopping her dead in her tracks and allowing Kiara to pounce onto her, and pin her down. "… My family… I have my mother. And my two brothers. They're annoying."

"What about your father?"

Vitani's jaw worked several times, but no sound emerged. She looked almost pained, but quickly hid the state by twisting about. "I don't have a father. He died, when I was just barely born. My mother takes good care of me now."

They remained there in silence for a long while, Kiara's warm body pressed against Vitani, who didn't dare try to move. She just savored what she was allowed to have. "I don't have any brothers or sisters." Kiara broke the silence, leaping off of Vitani smoothly. "Just my uncles. My dad is too busy being king to play with me. And my mom is the same way."

"Your father is the king?" Vitani rose to her paws and padded over to Kiara's side.

"Yea. I wish he wasn't, but I can't change that."

"At least he's there, sometimes."

"Yea, I guess… Hey! Let's keep going on the border! If this is as far as you want to go, we can keep going as far as we like." With a scattering of dust Kiara was off, running along the divide between the Pridelands and Outlands. Vitani was right behind her, laughing, as she kept pace with the princess.

They dashed along the winding route that the border took, up and down small hills, Kiara constantly looking back to make sure Vitani was still behind her. She was looking back as they both crested a hill, Vitani catching sight of something that made her inwardly cringe. "Kiara! Look ou-!"

The warning came too late, the other cub crashing right into the figure which had been on the other side of the hill. A dark-toned cub male, with a tuft of black on top of his head, and dark rings around his eyes. "Ow! Oh, I'm sorry."

"Kovu! What are you doing here? I thought mother told you to stay away from the Pridelands." Vitani seemed unconcerned by what had happened to the other cub, and instead went over to slowly help Kiara up. "Are you ok, Kiara?"

"Yea. I'm fine. Who is that?" Kiara lightly prodded the prone form before her.

"That's just my brother, Kovu. He's really annoying." Vitani leaned in close to Kiara and whispered in her ear, "And mother always liked him best. So don't worry too much. She'll be swooning all over him when she finds out."

The fallen cub slowly lifted his head and gave it a shake, looking up at the two lionesses. "Vitani? What are you doing out here? And how is she?"

"She's none of your business. And I'm out here because I don't have to stay back at home with mother and waste all my time."

"Sorry I ran into you like that. I was trying to watch Vitani and I… Well, you saw what happened."

"Hey, no problem. I'm fine. So, what IS your name? Or did my sister make you swear not to say anything?" Kovu gave a covert wink to Vitani, who seethed quietly.

"My name is Kiara. And I guess you're Kovu. Wanna play with us?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Mother will get mad if Kovu is away from home for too long. Especially out here near the Pridelands." With a subtle nudge, Vitani attempted to move Kiara away from Kovu.

"Aww, I don't have to worry about mother. She'll forgive me for this. Come on, let's play!" Kovu dashed up to nudge Kiara and knock Vitani off-balance while dashing past the border into the Pridelands.

"I'll get you!" Kiara ran off after Kovu, giggling madly.

"Kovu! Come back here! You can't go out there!" Vitani struggled back to her paws and made a mad dash for her brother and Kiara. Her claws gouged out the ground as she ran, using every bit of traction to propel her along with all the speed she could muster.

Over the low rise of a small hill she found the both of them on the edge of a small water hole, walking over what looked like rotten logs. Perfectly safe, until one of the logs opened its eyes and snapped at the pair. Crocodiles. The whole place was filled with them. "Kovu! Help me!" Kiara shrieked from a small island in the middle of the water, while Kovu made a dash for her along the bodies of the writhing reptiles.

"I'm coming, Kiara!" Both Outland cubs yelled out at once, Vitani pouring on her speed down the hill and making a massive leap into the thick of the action. Kovu, meanwhile, had made his way to Kiara, all three cubs then finding themselves stuck in the midst of the crocodiles. "Nice going, Kovu."

"Hey! How was I supposed to know? I've never been out here before."

"Shouldn't we get out of here?" Kiara started looking around for a way out of the predicament.

"We'll jump. All we need to do is jump over to the back and climb up the vines. We'll make it." Leading by example, Vitani leaped over the snapping crocodiles onto the sloping rear bank wall, pulling herself up one paw at a time using the tangled plants that hung down the bank.

"Well? Go!" Kovu pushed at Kiara, making the young lioness leap for the face of the bank and catch hold. Just a second behind her was Kovu, who scaled the tangle of vines deftly, as Vitani had.

"I can't make it that fast! Help me!" Kiara struggled to pull herself up the vine-covered slope. Her quiet life in the Pridelands had not prepared her for this.

Without hesitating, Vitani leaned over the top of the embankment and grabbed at Kiara's scruff with her teeth. Growling softly and giving a mighty pull she yanked the other cub over the top, much harder than she intended. Kiara went tumbling into Kovu, and the two of them were knocked through a screen of grass into a relatively open clearing. Where a huge, well-maned lion stood, together with a warthog and meerkat. Vitani considered going out to face the lion as well, but she saw her mother enter the clearing, and thought it best to slink back to the termite mounds.

"Hey, Vitani! Back from your little trip?" Back at the mounds, Vitani was accosted by her annoying older brother, Nuka.

"_Look at him…" _She thought to herself. _"Scraggly, half-formed mane, termite-infested fur, perpetual ignorance on his ugly face. Just another sign of what this place is like." _"Yes, Nuka, I'm back. I have to get away from here now and then. I can't stand it."

"If you hate it so much you can just stay wherever it is you go. More food for mother and me. You're such a pain anyway. No wonder she loves me better."

"She does? Will she still love you when she finds out you lost Kovu?" A smile crept across Vitani's face as she spoke. Nuka's one job, and he had failed it

"I didn't lose him! He just kinda got away from me is all. But I'll find him way before mother finds out anything."

"Way too late, Nuka. She knows, all too well."

"You little liar! How do you know that?"

"Because not only did I see mother find Kovu in the Pridelands, she's coming up behind you." Vitani gave a light chuckle and turned to walk away from Nuka.

"Oh!" Wheeling quickly around, Nuka just caught Zira coming up to him, with Kovu hanging dejectedly from her mouth. "Mother! How wonderful to see you. I caught some field mice for… Your…" His voice trailed off as she stalked past him, and dropped Kovu off by Vitani.

"What were you THINKING!? Your brother could have been killed in the Pridelands! I had to save him from Simba. How do you explain his presence there?" Zira turned on Nuka as soon as Kovu was down, snarling out her rage at her cringing son.

"So, you're alive? That's a shame. I thought you'd be food for Simba right now." Vitani sauntered from Kovu, looking as disinterested as possible.

"Mother was very good at negotiating. And besides, I saved Kiara's life." With a smug smile on his face, Kovu polished his claws on his chest.

"You liar! I'm the one who saved Kiara! You only met her because you snuck away from Nuka and went where you weren't supposed to go!" Vitani snapped her teeth an inch from Kovu's nose, her hackles up and her claws digging into the crumbly dirt.

"But Kiara doesn't know that." Kovu continued to casually polish his claws, looking haughty and victorious. "Kiara never saw who pulled her up. And she fell into me. She thought I did it. So thanks, sister. For making me look like a hero."

"Believe me, it was never my intention. And it is a mistake I will never make again. You did nothing but get us into that danger. You stole the credit for my work and you interrupted my… You… Well, you interrupted me." The fury in Vitani's voice and motions drained away to nothing as she tripped over the last statement. She looked away quickly, and made another attempt to leave.

"I know. Interrupted your DATE. With a GIRL." Kovu's derisive laughter followed Vitani as he did, the male cub trailing close behind her. "What did you think you were going to do, Vitani? Sweep her off her paws with your charm? She'd never like you. Because of what you are."

"What I am? Kovu, I'm just like you! I'm an Outlander too! I'm an outcast the same as you. There's nothing different about us at all." Vitani turned to face Kovu, rage bright in her cerulean eyes.

"There is one difference. I'm a boy, and you're a girl. The only difference that matters." Kovu smiled in triumph, watching Vitani's face fall from an angry glare to a wounded moue. "And you know it. Face it, Vitani, you never had a chance. I promise you, someday, somehow, I'm going to win this. I'm going to sweet-talk her, I'm going to get close to her, and I'm going to be her mate. Not only because she's pretty, and she is pretty, isn't she, sister?" The cub leaned in close to his sister, whispering into her flattened-back ear, "But also, to spite you." With his promise delivered, he walked off back to Zira, putting on an innocent face.

Vitani slumped to the ground, eyes staring sightlessly ahead. She didn't even notice the harsh, unforgiving scenery. She had been drenched in it as long as she could remember. It was part of her. The sun-baked dirt, the sickly plants, the ever-present termites. _"This place is ugly. It's so ugly I can barely stand having to know it exists." _She started breathing harder, ragged sobs rocking her frame as she looked out on the desolation. The images started to impress themselves on her mind once again, stamping the ugliness once more onto her consciousness. _"All I wanted was to get away and find something that was not this place. This place is hard, unfeeling and ugly. I wanted to find anything soft, caring and beautiful. So beautiful." _A stream of tears dripped from her bright blue eyes, bathing the parched earth. _"So very beautiful. Kiara…"_

**To be Continued…**


	2. It felt so wrong

"**I kissed a girl (And I liked it)"**

**By: Gabriel LaVedier**

_**Here we come to the second chapter of this most unusual series. The protagonists grow up a little bit. Age gives Kiara beauty, and gives Vitani… Naught but regrets. Note: The poem which Vitani recites, titled during the pre-writing step "Vitani's disgust" is a heavy modification of the first eight lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem "The Donkey." Essentially, she uses a similar self-depreciating tone as the donkey in question, without the later triumphant coda. Also, can anyone point me to any really good fan work of these two together? Stories or art? I don't think there's any on Lion King Source, but I haven't looked because it might be just like Balto Source: Once home to some now devoid thanks to management decisions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. I claim no infringement.**_

**Chapter Two: It felt so wrong…**

"And what will you do?" Zira grinned with manic glee as she looked upon her son, now grown and ready for his most important mission.

"I will kill Simba…" Kovu repeated his often-stated vow with emotionless precision, looking straight ahead unwaveringly, even as the Outland lionesses roared their approval. All but one Outland lioness.

"I will kill Simba…" Vitani repeated mockingly, under her breath. "Yea, right. Like he'd ever get close enough to do that." Age had hardly been kind to the former cub. She had grown like the rest of the exiles. Long months of privation and desperation had made her scraggly, thin and drawn. Her once-beautiful features had been nearly strangled out of her. Her eyes were still a brilliant blue, but now diminished in notability and sitting within the sallow yellow sclera ringed by natural darkness. Though it galled her that this was what she had become, it was her only body, her only identity. She had to live with it.

"Vitani! Nuka! Come here. I have a job for the two of you." Zira motioned with her head to her two children, a devious grin on her face.

Nuka was delighted to be addressed by his mother, trotting over gleefully. "What do you need, mother? Just name it and I'll get it for you. Don't worry about anything I'm…" He was silenced by his sister, who had slunk up beside him without much enthusiasm.

Two sticks were scooted to the two lions by their mother, who leaned in conspiratorially. "Take these to the elephant graveyard. Light them on fire with the natural flame pits. And then burn the grassland. There are supposed to be Pridelanders about today. Make certain the fire washes over their territory, and engulfs whoever is foolish enough to be about."

Nuka very quickly grabbed one of the dry sticks but Vitani hesitated. Kiara was a Pridelander. She couldn't do such a thing to her. "Mother, how can we do this? The fire could spread into our territory. And you've sent Kovu out there. He may be caught in the blaze." Vitani put on her best serious face and spoke with a confident, yet cautious, tone.

"Don't worry, my child, I've thought it through completely. Kovu will stay away from any part that looks dry enough to burn, and I've ensured that there are trenches around out territory. We will be safe here, and Kovu will be safe out there."

"But…" Vitani began a second protest but was stopped by the mad fire burning in Zira's bloodshot eyes. "Yes, mother." She meekly submitted at last, picking up the stick with her mouth and running after Nuka, who had started off and then paused, to wait for her. She took a last look behind her at her cruelly-grinning mother, before she ran on with all speed, head down and mind busy.

- - -

"Are you alright?" Later in the day, after the fire had been set, and had burned much of the dry Pridelands. Amid the smoke and noise, Kovu found himself looking down at Kiara, whom he had just saved, legitimately. Though with foreknowledge that Vitani and Nuka would be burning everything. Once again, he had used his sister to look good.

"Y-yes…" Kiara looked up weakly at her savior, her eyes half-closed. In the darkness and swirling smoke she only saw a shape. She saw no details and filled in what she thought was there. She thought she saw blue eyes in the choking cloud. But a moment longer revealed she was mistaken. It was a lion. With a thick mane, and familiar face. "It's you. That lion from… Oh it's been a long time."

"It's been an eternity without you, princess." Kovu kept his insincere smile, and used his best fawning voice. Every detail honed to perfection playing his mother and the other exiles. Except for Vitani, who hated him too much to fall for his trickery. The heartless wretch. "Can I help you up?"

"No! Ahh… No, I can manage." Though slow, from fatigue and bruising, Kiara slowly ros eback to her paws, swaying slightly. "There. I'm fine."

"If you say so, princess. But you inhaled a lot of smoke out there, and you took a bit of a beating while you were running for your life." Kovu leaned up against Kiara, ostensibly to support her body, but adding a subtle motion to rub his form against her own.

Kiara coughed a few times, the words reminding her just how sooty her throat felt. She shook her head after her cough, leaning more firmly against Kovu. "I just… I need some water and a rest. That's all. I'll be fine."

"At least let me escort you home. It's still pretty dangerous out here…" Kovu's smile gleamed with smooth imitation concern, and his eyes traced possessively along Kiara's tawny form. His victory was simpler than he had thought. And so much sooner than he had ever assumed. It would be only a matter of time until…

"Kiara! There you are!" From seemingly nowhere came a voice. Kiara looked over, enthused, pulling her body away from Kovu's support, a light in her eyes and smile on her lips. Kovu cursed as he heard it. He knew just who the interloper was, and had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with her interference. Vitani finally climbed to the top of the hill Kiara and Kovu occupied, pressing herself against Kiara instantly. Her lithe, starved figure rubbed sinuously against Kiara's lush and healthy frame, the two females rubbing muzzles gently. "I was so worried when I saw the fire sweeping over the Pridelands. I tried to get in and find you but I was blocked by the flames!"

"Oh, you didn't have to worry. I can take care of myself. I'm a big lioness now, and I've learned a few things about how to survive." Kiara perked her ears and turned at the sound of a cough, to see Kovu frowning at her. "Oh, and Kovu helped me out when I was too overcome. But I'm sure I could have made it without him."

"Trust me, Kiara, you can always manage without him. I've done it my whole life." The smile Vitani gave to her brother was smug and self-confident. She had every right to it, with Kiara gleefully rubbing her face in against the Outland lioness' neck.

"Shouldn't you be getting home, Vitani? With this fire mother is going to be worried about how you're doing." Kovu stalked up to the pair of females, firmly inserting himself between the two and ending Kiara's welcoming head-rubbing with his firm shoulders.

"She'll be more worried about you, Kovu. You're her favorite, after all. Shouldn't you be getting back home?" Vitani casually circled around her bother and sat down beside Kiara.

"I think we should both go home. That way we can spare mother the worry." Kovu made his statement from between clenched teeth, trying with all his might to make it look as though he was sincerely smiling.

"An excellent idea. Don't worry, Kiara…" Vitani leaned in to place a small peck on Kiara's forehead before rising to join Kovu. "I'll come back and see you when things calm down around here."

"A-all right…" The Prideland lioness found herself speechless and shaken, as she had been back when she was only a cub.

"And I'll be back to see you, too, princess. After all, it's only fair that the one who saved you should check in to see how you're doing." With a wink, Kovu turned and started walking away, Vitani at his side.

"Very smooth, chosen one. How long were you planning to wait before she found you on her back?" Vitani growled low, leaning in to speak with Kovu as the two of them walked slowly away.

"Stuff it, Vitani. You interrupted a perfectly legitimate hero's reward. Don't forget, this time I really did save her life. It was you who put it in danger. You're the one who should have anger hurled at you, not me."

"I only did it because mother made me. I tried to stop it but… I couldn't disobey her. Besides, Nuka was the most enthusiastic about it. And don't you forget, _hero_, that you KNEW full well this fire was coming. Mother told you about it in great detail and explained just how you could use it to your advantage even if it failed to kill anyone from the Prideland side. You were just waiting for this disaster to happen so you could act like a hero, you disgusting scavenger."

"I've never seen you refuse a carcass, sister. Watch who you're calling what. And who cares if I knew it was coming? I didn't know where it was coming from. I didn't know exactly when. I was in danger the whole time. You were comfortably behind the fire. All you needed to do was start it, so I could look good."

"Once again I find myself in the unique position of having to apologize and to swear that it will not happen again. Not in this way, at any rate. I'm not here to help you trick your way into that girl's status. I'm not here to help you at all."

"Really now? I'm sure mother would think differently."

"You're the one who said you'd mate her just to spite me. I will do as our mother commands because it is part of my duty to obey her. But as much as I can, with as much skill as I can muster, I will find ways to keep those orders from giving you any significant benefit."

"You're welcome to waste your time and effort, Vitani. In fact, I encourage you to do that. Waste all your effort, run yourself ragged and wrack your brain until it breaks to try and keep me from my goal. I'll do as I promised, and I will leave you in the cold. It will just makes things all the more entertaining and satisfying if, in the process, I burn you down to a cinder."

- - -

Several days later, after the ash had settled and the clouds cleared away the Pridelands were safe once more, and all creatures were free to roam the grasslands. Including Kiara.

She stalked imaginary prey through the patches of burnt grass, and dodged imagined ambushes that came from every angle. Even though she had only the barest inkling of how to actually stalk and defend against such things, she still made the effort, simply to keep her powerful, lush body limber.

"Looking good, princess." From the cover of low grass, the voice emerged suddenly, and brashly. "You definitely have the makings of a truly great huntress in you." Kovu slowly rose from behind the tuft of brunt grass he had been using as a hiding spot, his dark coloration allowing for proper blending.

Kiara stumbled back a little bit, truly caught off guard by Kovu's sudden appearance. "Ah! Oh, hello again, Kovu. Do you really think I have what it takes? I've done a lot of practice and I know I'm just perfect for it. But my parents say that I still need more training."

"Well… Parents can be a bit overprotective at times. That's their job. If they didn't, how would you ever manage to get frustrated with them?" A small laugh followed, Kovu getting a good deal of humor from his own joke. "But really, everyone needs practice and training. That's how you get better, and stay good. You train and exercise and make sure you know everything there is to know."

"But how? Both my parents are busy, being regal. All the huntresses are busy hunting. I'm expected to know how already. My uncles are of no help, even though they try."

"I'll tell you what. I can teach you. I'm already an excellent hunter. I had to be, in order to survive my situation."

"Would you really do that for me?" Kiara looked up to Kovu, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Princess, it would be my honor…" Kovu responded, a slick grin on his own face.

- - -

"No, no! Again! But this time keep yourself straight!" Kovu barked out his command with a stern and serious face, eyeing the object of his attention like a hunting hawk.

Kiara sighed loudly and pulled herself back onto all fours. She had been performing a pouncing drill for what seemed like hours. No motion was good enough. Her body was curved to one side of another, her arc was off, her claws weren't out enough. It was making her crazy. B ut she agreed to these lessons, and she was determined to keep with it. So she dug into the ground with her claws, gave the biggest leap she was capable of and let out a booming roar. She described a perfect arc, her body straight, her back arched just slightly, forepaws out and forward with the claws fully extended. When she hit the ground, marked with a simple set of scratches to show where her "prey" was, there was a terrific thud and the casting of dust as her claws ripped into the dirt. "Ha! Perfect! My form was flawless, my execution ideal and every little bit of it went exactly as it was supposed to."

"Well, yes. Except you started out in the open, rather than from the tall grass. You won't get many chances to make a kill by just being out in the open." Kovu wandered up to his charge and bumped her playfully. "But you're learning."

A little laugh came from Kiara's mouth, though she tried to hold a disgruntled frown. Trying to, anyhow. "That was… Quite a workout. Think we can cut it short here? I want to get back to Pride Rock and rest."

"Sure. But I'll have to work you twice as hard tomorrow."

"Would you really?"

"You want to be a good hunter, don't you? Impress your parents with your skills?"

"My parents…" Kiara looked down suddenly, her body slumping as she thought of her parents. And their expectations.

"You know… It takes more than just hunting to impress parents."

"What do you mean? What else is there besides being able to provide?"

"Well, you know… There's a stable family life. A mate." Kovu looked over at Kiara with a serious expression. "Cubs."

"O-oh… I see what you mean. But…" Kiara slowly scratched at the ground, leaving light, shallow furrows with her claws. "I mean I don't really… I just… It's not something…"

"Everyone feels hesitant. And it's not an easy thing to decide. But keep this in mind, parents like it when their children join in their responsibilities. Grow up, have families and continue the traditions. Especially when you're a princess in line to rule. What would happen without an heir? Chaos." Kovu's paw lashed out, ripping a ragged divot from the ground. "Destruction!" Another swipe tore out another hunk of ground. "Madness!" He clawed at the ground wildly, casting dirt in all directions and forcing Kiara to step away. He stopped suddenly, panting and looking over at Kiara with huge, intense eyes. "That's why cubs are important."

Kiara was stunned, to say the least. Her look was dumbfounded. Her jaw hung open, her breath caught in her throat. "You make…" Her words were just barely audible, hardly a breath able to get through her tight throat. "A good point. I understand the reason. But I don't feel it."

"Everyone says that. But that's just one of the things you learn to overcome. Eventually, you do feel it. And it's beautiful. Trust me, I've seen it before and I just know it will happen to you. And really, would a courtship and mate-ship with me be so bad? It worked for your parents."

Kiara had no words for that. Responsibility, sensibility, maturity. It was all closing in on her. Like the jaws of a huge predator she was being slowly crushed to death by all the factors she couldn't deny. Every piece of her, though screaming that it was not what was right, was silenced by the inexorable press of guilt and tradition. She had to answer. She couldn't put it off any longer.

- - -

Vitani cursed as she finally made it into the Pridelands. She had worked hard to escape her mother's evil eye, and slip past the lionesses watching the borders with different excuses. She was, allegedly, going to spy on Pride Rock, and see how Kovu was proceeding. Though he told all, the paranoid Zira always liked a second bit of news.

She wound her way along circuitous paths, always hiding her trail with double-backs and paths through water. Zira's paranoia was all-encompassing. She didn't trust those who brought her news of those she didn't trust. Even despite the precautions, she still made good time to the heart of the Pridelands, and found what she had been hoping to find. Kiara, alone, looking contemplative in the sun. With a smile of genuine pleasure, Vitani trotted towards the princess. "Good day, Kiara. I'm sorry I haven't been around to see you often. It's just very busy in the Outlands."

For a time, it seemed as though Kiara had heard nothing. She remained there, sprawled out on a rock, brow furrowed. She stared off at nothing, barely blinking. At long last, after a fair interval of time, she looked over at Vitani and gave a half-hearted, though sincere, smile. "Oh, Vitani. Hello…"

"Something the matter, Kiara? You look pensive."

"What? No. Nothing's the matter. Truth to tell I'm very, very happy. It's just that I've had a long day. Lots of hunting practice and talking about how to impress my parents. It's very important to me. I mean, I love them with everything I have. I respect them highly. I know they want what's best for me. And what's best is… Well, Kovu explained it all."

Vitani's hackles rose, and a hateful fire came into her eyes. "Kovu? And just what did my brother say, hmmm?"

"He finally made me realize that it's more than just being good at hunting, important as that really is. It's also about undertaking a normal life. Settling down with a mate, having cubs and continuing the circle of life though becoming a parent. That's just the peak of it." Kiara kept her eyes low, and her voice quavered as she spoke the last three lines.

"What? What are you talking about? You don't need to take a mate and make cubs to have a normal life. Or a good one. You just have to be happy with your life. That's the most important thing. Your life is your own. No one has the right to dictate to you how to be happy."

Kiara slowly turned herself around, to look towards Pride Rock, a small shiver running through her body. "But I need to make my parents proud of me…"

"Why?!" Vitani ran to Kiara's front, pushing her muzzle up close to the other lioness' face. "Why do you have to do that? And how will this do it? Have you asked?"

"I have to because they raised me, Vitani. I lo-love them. And I'd do anything for them. Having a mate and having cubs is important, especially to royalty. It's hard to understand when you're not…"

"Not what? Royal? I don't need to be to understand this. Your own happiness should come first. You should decide how you want your life to go before you let someone dictate it. Parents or not, they don't own you, Kiara. No one does."

Kiara said nothing. She looked away from Vitani, chewing pensively on her lower lip, and lightly scratching a the ground. "I need to. It's part of my responsibilities. As princess of the Pridelands it's my duty to produce an heir, who can take over after my time as Queen is done. I can't just think of myself, as much as I dearly want… I can't."

"Kiara… Kiara please. Please just… I…" Without warning, Vitani dipped her head in and planted her lips against Kiara's. Her breathing was hard and irregular, her body shuddering with long-missed sensation. Soft lips, tender and uncertain trembling from the princess, her green eyes wide and filled with surprise at the start. But as the kiss went on her eyes slowly drifted halfway shut, a pleased purr just barely rumbling through her chest. She stare deeply into the blue eyes she remembered. The form was different, all thanks to life. But the feeling, the warm comfortable feeling of tenderness and sweetness was still there. Though it seemed to go on forever, the kiss ended at last, with a small gasp from Kiara, and a deep, aching pant from Vitani. "I love you…"

Kiara stood there, on weak legs, her head thrown back, staring sightlessly at the sky, still feeling the rush of sensation from the long, deep kiss. The purr rumbling in her chest slowly died away, and her head came back down to look at Vitani. There were tears threatening at the edges of her eyes, and it was clear she was trying to keep them there. "I'm sorry. But… I'm not a cub anymore, Vitani…" With that strained and pain-filled statement Kiara walked away, trying to keep her pace as steady as possible, on her path back to Pride Rock.

Vitani was left all alone. She didn't dare move from where she was, her back to Kiara's retreating form. Unlike the princess, she didn't stop her tears. They poured from her wide, unbelieving eyes, as she drew in shuddering breath after shuddering breath. "But…" She whispered, to no one at all, "Kiara… Neither am I…"

- - -

Vitani wandered back to the border of the Pridelands and Outlands in a daze. All her hopes. All her dreams. Dashed to pieces by her brother's convincing lies, his preying on Kiara's insecurities and desire to please. She had been outflanked. That cursed wretch of a brother finally had his way. His deceit and duplicity had paid off for him. He had taken the ugliness and disgustingness of the Outlands and used them to get what he wanted. To spite her.

Back on the Outland side of the border Vitani stopped to drink from a pool of water, to cool her throat, scratched and raw from her sobs. She looked down into the water, gazing into her own reflection, occasionally distorted by the last remnants of her tears. Looking at what time and living in squalor had done to her, she began to whisper.

"_When hornbills crawled and grasslands walked_

_And acacias had no thorn,_

_When the air was dust and the moon all blood_

_Then my sick soul was born;_

_With ugly face and monstrous voice_

_And eyes of evil shade_

_Some demon's breathing parody_

_Of every right thing made…"_

She slashed at the water with a snarl, rending her images into a thousand rippling distortions, her rage-filled visage twisted and broken a thousand ways, making her appear, if only for that moment, exactly like the monster she felt she was.

She ran from the border deep into the heart of the Outlands, to the termite mounds, the seat of her mother's evil ambitions. She was finished with avoiding things. Done with thinking she could escape the permeating horror of her home.

She dashed into the mounds, past the guardian lionesses and the lounging ones who conserved what energy they had extracted from their meager meals. To her mother's raised dais, from where she regularly spit hatred and derision towards the Pridelands. All because of what they did to Scar. Zira was there, scheme. On seeing her daughter coming in what looked like a rage, she raised a sharp eyeridge. "My dear Vitani, what is the matter?"

Vitani gazed up at her mother, the tears gone from her eyes, the red rawness making her gaze look as evil as she had always been assumed to be. She opened her mouth, her ragged voice echoing darkly in the cathedral-like mound. "Mother, direct me. Order me as you will, to perform any act you desire. Let me be the instrument of your rage. Your chosen fury. I will be part of your vengeance." She thought of Kiara's rejection, and the decision she made to be normal, even though she knew inside what she truly wished. "Let me help you destroy the Pridelands…"

--

**To be continued…**


	3. It felt so right

"**I kissed a girl (And I liked it)"**

**By: Gabriel LaVedier**

**Here comes chapter three. Vitani is broken by the things Kiara has said and done. Kiara is selling her soul to the devil for a chance to make her parents proud. And Kovu is going on his merry way, aided by Mufasa's zealot, who wishes to turn living brings into political pawns. The lives and loves begin to slowly combine and interact, but in this part, there's not much going on. More than a drabble but less than a real, full chapter. Primarily, this will show just how Kiara can recover from the poison she was fed. And, as a note, I'm still looking for snuggly Kiara/Vitani images and stories. All help is greatly appreciated.**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. I claim no infringement.**_

**Chapter Three: It felt so right…**

Very few people knew, yet everyone knew. Mufasa had a personal zealot. His own grand unifier of faith and obedience. The circle of life was natural as could be. None disputed it, even before the coming of the Pride Rock monarchy and the imposition of the formality. But none ever considered it, because it was so obvious and so natural. No mystical nonsense worked behind it. It was always just the way things were.

Then came the rulers out of the mysterious distance. They conquered the land with ferocity and a unity of purpose backed by the mystic proclamations of the zealous Rafiki. As he said, the invaders did, and they slaughtered their opposition. Because he was more than the others, more than just someone making wild motions, someone with a message that seemed to come from unspecified "great kings" who promised victory. All too soon, his message was truth, and those he backed in power.

So though everyone knew that Rafiki was a zealous advancer of the pride and a loud proclaimer of the circle of life, very few really appreciated what it meant. What that much power meant, really. But Rafiki knew. Knew well that all the power he had, for all the time he had left in his life, was due to the regular and continuous line of succession, from King or Queen to Prince or Princess. That what was most vital in the world was ensuring there would always be a monarch, and always be an heir to the throne.

In the space at the top of his baobab tree, Rafiki drew his innumerable pictures, driven by visions and his sharp understanding of the motivations of others. Each time he finished his vision, he erased it with a snarl of hate, and started again. His harmony was broken, and had been for some time. Now his visions, born of his understanding of the way things were conflicted with his conscious knowledge of how to preserve his position.

He dipped his fingers into his powder pots and painted, again and again. Golden fur flowed out from under his fingers, with a pleasing feminine shape and proportion. Kiara. But the second drawing, though begun with dark-toned earth pigments, lightened just slightly. He could not stop himself from adding an angular femininity to it. Or from placing the crushed beetle shells in the eyes. A brilliant blue. Over and over again.

"No! Dis is not how it is supposed to be. Kiara must be with Kovu. An heir must come! Mufasa! Help me to erase what is right and do what is necessary. Help me lie to your granddaughter, and preserve your line. Guide my hand, and make Kovu the one. Not his sister." He dipped his fingers into the pot again. And began painting again, growing angry as he reached the middle of the painting. It was betraying him. Again.

- - -

Kiara walked through the lush, lively Pridelands, dragging her paws, going nowhere in particular and getting there as slowly as possible. She had just been serenaded by her father's personal spiritual advisor, her new intended getting into the spirit of the song, while she… faked her way through, as she had faked her way through so many things. It was all she could do to maintain the proper image that Kovu told her was correct.

It weighed on her mind more and more, as time dragged on. Ever since that day… That horrible day… She had felt lower than any creature on or under the earth. She had torn out Vitani's heart and rent it to pieces. And Vitani was still alive to suffer the agony. And she knew it, clearly and unambiguously. She had felt the love and adoration in that kiss. It had burned through her veins, lit a fire in her soul, a fire she wanted more than anything to extinguish. Because it reminded her of every kiss, every touch and caress that Vitani had given her since the day they met. And there had been many. Innocent, sweet, caring, playful, teasing, loving, adoring. Each one meaning the same thing. The thing she had rejected.

She was a monster. A liar. Playing a game for the sake of her parents and her destiny. That's what adults did. That's what she had been told. That's what seemed to be so. There could be no other way of looking at it. Adults suppressed all their feelings, all their inclinations. They couldn't be playful or silly or frivolous. So why would things like love and devotion be any different?

Arriving at a small watering hole near Pride Rock, she bent down for a drink, a few small tears slipping down along her muzzle and into the water. She thought she was alone, feeling free enough to let slip those few small drops from out of her personal store. But she was wrong.

"Kiara?" From a tall stand of grass came her redoubtable uncles, Timon and Pumbaa. The meerkat had spoken to her, looking up with a concerned expression.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with Kovu?" Pumbaa nudged softly against her side, looking up to Kiara's face with a look of great concern.

"Oh… It's… It's nothing, really." A smile slowly grew on Kiara's face, stretched too far, pulled too tight, her eyes dull and unhappy and still loaded with unreleased tears.

"Now, come on. We've known you all your life. You can't lie to us. Something's the matter. Did you have a fight with Kovu?" Timon deftly ran up Pumbaa's back , leaping form the top of his head onto the back of his niece.

"No. I promise you. We haven't had a fight. Everything is perfect. We're still getting along. Just perfectly. It's all perfect. We get along…"

"Perfectly?" Timon finished, walking onto Kiara's head and casually strolling down her muzzle.

"Yea. How else would we get along? We're meant to be together. It's our destiny. Our relationship is written in the stars and proclaimed by Rafiki. He knows everything. It must be true."

There was a short wince, that ran through both Timon and Pumbaa, simultaneously, at the mention of Rafiki. Though it showed in Pumbaa's bulk, Kiara could feel it clearly atop her nose. "You might not want to put ALL your faith in him. Just, you know, in case." Timon leaped from Kiara's muzzle, to the top of his partner's head.

"In case of what? I've always trusted Rafiki. Just like daddy always did. Everyone trusts him to help us with our lives in the circle of life. He knows much."

"Yea, but not everything…" Timon muttered just under his breath. But loud enough to be heard.

"What was that?"

"Listen… Don't go spreading this around… Bur Rafiki… He's not right about EVERYTHING. There are, you know, one or two things he might be a little bit wrong about. You know, just those bits and pieces here and there that you'd hardly notice."

"Like what? He has proven his knowledge in everything he has done for us, from the anointing of heirs to the proclamations of the great kings of the past. How could someone so rich in knowledge, and so trusted, be wrong?"

Timon tapped his fingertips together, pursing and un-pursing his lips as he considered the question. He knew what to say. But not how to say it. His mind raced as he regarded his pseudo-niece. It was Pumbaa, however, who spoke at last. "He was wrong about us. About what we were like."

Kiara tilted her head a trifle, regarding the mismatched pair, the second family she had known her whole life. "What's wrong with you? You're… You're my uncles. You raised my father when he was little. He owes you his life and Rafiki must know it. He has to have the highest respect and admiration for you."

No answer came from either of them, for a long and painful moment. Timon broke the silence with a soft tone, barely enough to be heard. "He thinks a certain way."

"What way is that?"

"The way that says…" Timon choked on the words, but Pumbaa was there to take them up.

"Boys go with girls. Only."

Kiara winced, a twitch running through her whole body. She remembered the fire. The burning in her soul. Remembered Vitani. "O-only? Bu… But what does that have to do with you?"

"Didn't you ever wonder why Pumbaa and I are always together? And only us? Why, even being the hero that saved my colony, I never picked one of those ladies to be my mate? Why Pumbaa never thought to go and find himself a prime lady of the porcine persuasion? It ain't from lack of trying."

"Wait. You mean you are… And he's… You're both..?" Kiara stared disbelievingly, looking between her uncles. She hadn't even had an inkling. Their relationship seemed so natural to her that she never suspect that there was more to it than what there seemed to be. But then, no one had ever taught her that it was wrong. She had never seen it. And before Kovu twister her in knots, she saw nothing wrong with her feelings for Vitani. She still saw nothing wrong with them. But she had a duty. A duty that could not be broken.

"Surprise?" Timon put on a half-hearted smile and spread his hands a little bit. "Kinda sudden, I know, but…"

"Wait! Don't you… Don't you have a responsibility to your colony?" The lioness quickly came face-to-face with Timon, her quick breath nearly knocking him over.

"What do ya mean? I brought them to paradise from the middle of the pit of shame. I suppose I should go back and out in some ceremonial guard duty to make up for what happened before but that's-"

"No, no, I mean… You're famous. Important. You're practically king of the colony. Don't you have a responsibility to settled down like everyone else, and have babies with a mate?"

"Gee, I hope not. That might be a little hard, you know, what with me liking males like I do, and, well, with me having Pumbaa here for as long as we both live. I don't know how I'd manage that. Don't know why I'd have to. Even if I am some kinda leader figure, when I'm gone someone will take up my spot. Problem solved."

Kiara had to think about that. She looked down and pawed lightly at the loose dirt. Someone will take up. Someone. "It's not that simple. Is it? I am princess of the Pridelands. One day, I will be queen. When my time is done, an heir must come forward. But who would that heir be if not my cub?"

"Anybody you choose. You just have to be the best queen you can be, and then pick someone to be the best queen or king after you're done." Pumbaa encouragingly nudged against his ersatz niece, smiling his usual huge smile at her.

Kiara looked up at Pride Rock, claws flexing and stabbing repeatedly at the dirt beneath her. "I was taught all my life that Rafiki was always right. That the line of succession of Pride Rock was to be unbroken forever. That the circle of life had no beginning and no end. But it had to begin somewhere, and it will end when the last thing dies. Rafiki was wrong about you. About other things. But the line must be unbroken." Her shoulders slumped at that last statement, head dropping and eyes misting. "Not for the circle of life, the great kings of the past, Rafiki's words or my own feelings. But because if it is not, my parents will be disappointed. Or worse. The ones who raised me and gave me all that they could. I owe them."

"As long as it's what you want. What you really, really want…" Pumbaa looked up at the imposing rock as well, while Timon was comfortably settled atop his head.

"It's what I can be convinced that I want. And in the scheme of being an adult, that's all that I need to know. That I can tell myself it is right. And it will be."

**To be continued…**


	4. Don't mean I'm in love Right?

"**I kissed a girl (And I liked it)"**

**By: Gabriel LaVedier**

**Chapter four. All the pieces are in place. The lies, the bigotry, the deception. All put out. What few good things there were are struggling to be seen behind the horror of rigid duty and mindless conformity. Now the players line up for the last stand. No one knows what will emerge from the bloody battlefield. But all are willing to risk it to find out. AS a personal note, thank you to all the commenters. It means a lot. And thanks for the point to cute Vitani/Kiara stuff. It was lovely.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. I claim no infringement.**

**Chapter Four: Don't mean I'm in love… Right?**

The ranks of lions gathered in the rain, paws splattering mud around with each heavy, purposeful step. The well-fed lionesses of Pride Rock strode out with a regal will, their muscles moving smoothly beneath tawny pelts. The stringy lionesses of the Outlands slid forward hungrily, their starved eyes flashing, vicious claws raking the muddy ground. Among the ranks walked the new Chosen. Not meant to rule, meant to destroy. She was the avenging fury, the instrument of Zira's wrath. As she commanded, the beast obeyed. Her claws were stained in blood, of poached animals and failed Outland agents. She had turned herself into a monster, to banish feeling from her heart. Vitani growled, not in anger, but it frustration. No matter her crime, no matter the viciousness, it was in there still. A feeling locked in her chest, that let out a little ray of light, and burned her impure heart. She knew it was wrong. But there was nothing to be done.

"Where's your pretty daughter, Nala?" She meant t to sound vicious. To sound mocking and just slightly menacing. But with all the growl her throat could muster, all the ice her eyes could command, all the menace her body could exude, she could not change what the words were. Those who suspected something only had their suspicions confirmed, and those that didn't found the choice of words curious, given her position. She should have been asking after her traitorous brother, not the one who led him astray. His betrayal was a more immediate concern.

Zira was upon her agent in a flash, cuffing the side of her head with a murderous growl. "Fool! Who cares about that little brat? Where is Kovu!? Where is the traitor who has turned his back on all he was ever taught? Where is my son?"

"I don't know. I just don't know…" Nala responded, looking at the Outland side, a curious expression on her face as she directly answered Vitani's question.

Zira shot a sharp look at Nala, but then looked aside quickly, her expression growing more horrible, and more strained, as though she was holding something back. "You can't keep track of your child, and yet you still presume to care for her. What a good mother you must be, Nala."

"Hurt me all you want, Zira. She's not here, and she should be." Nala didn't look at the other lioness, but merely stood close to her mate. Close, but not touching.

Vitani lashed her tail in consternation. She wanted to fight. To conquer. To kill. Anything to forget what she couldn't have. If she wasn't allowed happiness, then she'd fill herself to the hilt with everything darker and more horrible. It would never fill the void, of that she was well aware. She accepted the emptiness in her life. All the better. It would drive her to do her horrible acts. Make her forget how wrong it was. The gaping hole in her life would be her muse, and make certain she kept acting as she was meant to, by her mother's command.

"No matter. We are here. That will be enough. If we cannot kill the traitor, then we will slaughter those here, and take our rightful place!" Zira snarled at the Prideland side and slowly started to stalk forward. "Leave Nala to me. The rest of you… Kill."

The command was eagerly obeyed, Vitani leaping first into the fray, all the other Outland warriors quickly following. Zira kept to the rear, her burning eyes focused on Nala, who was shielded by Simba, though more from his action than any she took.

The armies clashed, and clashed hard, claws out, raking at toughened hides, fangs biting at tawny pelts. In the midst of the fray, a warthog and meerkat dashed about, creating chaos and battering the Outland side around without doing much genuine damage. Within the mad whirl of the battle, whipping up the mud and blood, was Vitani. She was truly a monster, battering at skulls, swiping at eyes, biting for throats. The Prideland lionesses were wise enough to keep out of her reach, and to come up around her where she was not looking to swipe or butt at her. It only made her angrier. Her savage roar, filled with hate and pain whose source was well known to most, echoed across the grasslands, further than the tumult of the rest of the battle.

It traveled far enough to perk the ears of the one who gave it form. Whose actions had nursed and tended the sorrow and suffering until they had grown into the mad cry. Kiara looked up, aware of what she was hearing. "Vitani…"

"What?" Kovu looked aside at Kiara, having led her away from the site of the battle, intending to pretend he had never known about the fight that was going on.

"I heard her. She's out there. And…" She didn't go on. Just stared off into the distance.

"She's mad. I know it. Ever since Nuka died she's been more upset than usual. She just doesn't understand. This is the way it has to be. I'm sad for him too. But I can't just wallow in it. I need to move forward. Otherwise, what's the point of living?" The words flowed, slippery and sincere-sounding, backed by a look that was downcast but strong.

"No. It's more. I have to see her…" Kiara wanted to hesitate. To sink into the reassuring normalcy of the explanation. But there was too much pain in the cry. Too much anger. And knowing she was the author of it, she could only run towards it, with Kovu hot on her heels.

The battle was hot and thick when the two of them arrived, the muddy field stained with blood, the wounded hanging back and watching their fresher sisters give and take more damage. It was a churning maelstrom of violence and mayhem, the participants tired from the battle but unwilling to stop, lest their opponents come and take advantage of their halt. In the middle of it, mildly wounded, but fighting on, strong as ever, was Vitani, shrieking still. At that sight, Kiara was shocked. The one who she… Was just a monster there, with an expression on her face made of pure hatred. And pain. "Vitani!"

The voice… It was the last thing she wanted to hear. It was the one thing she most needed to hear. She halted her paws and turned her head to see her across the battlefield. With him., But away from him. Looking straight at her. "Kiara!"

The touch of blue eyes on her green orbs, a familiar stare that she had one come to expect as part of her day like the rise of the sun, broke her hesitation. She ran into the crush of battle, focused on the glowing blue of those pained, dark-ringed eyes. "Vitani!"

Vitani ignored the urging of her outland sisters to continue her crazed battle, and similarly ignored the wary approach of the Prideland lionesses. She just ran for the voice. The voice that was making the unwanted glow in her heart swell. "Kiara! Get out of here! What do you think you're doing?"

"I… I really don't know…" Kiara responded, laughing carelessly and leaping through the muddy field.

"You really are such a princess. But… AH!" The statement, made with increasing softness of voice, was cut short sharply, by a vicious cuff across the face from Kovu, who had snuck around the rest of the lionesses, avoiding Kiara's focused gaze until he struck.

"Ha! Take that! Enemy of the Pridelands! You evil creature! Have another one!" Another heavy blow landed on Vitani's face, pushing it hard into the mud beneath her fallen body.

"Kovu! What are you doing?" Kiara ran up beside her ostensible lover, attempting to stay his paw. But still, he beat his sister one more time.

"I have to, Kiara. She's the enemy. She's hear as my evil mother's right paw. She did it for power and greed. She wants it all. Now that I'm out and Nuka's gone, she can have it all."

Vitani's world reeled after the three hard knocks. She felt great explosions of pain and saw bursts of color. But the words were not an illusions caused by being knocked about. Kovu was cleaning himself up, and abusing her to do it. She placed her forepaws on the muddy ground and shoved up as hard as she could, knocking her thin shoulders in against Kovu as she popped up. "You!" Her eyes burned with rage, and her teeth ground in hatred. "I wasted my whole life in service to you! I was ordered to help you succeed at everything!"

"I don't… I have no idea what you're talking about." Kovu attempted to look wounded and innocent, making eyes at Kiara and glaring at his sister in turn.

"Save it, you monster! You know well I was the one who set the fire. Me and Nuka. Mother wanted you to look like a hero and we had to obey." Now she was speaking to a disbelieving Kiara. "I had no choice, she made me do it with her power over our lives."

"And now you're blaming your dread brother and your own mother. You're a liar and a beast. Kiara! Don't listen to her! You can hear just how horrible she is."

"Vitani! Stop talking about such things. Return to the battle right this instant." Zira halted in her assault on Simba, glaring daggers at her instrument of annihilation.

"No mother. Now I can't stop. Oh and you, mother… You made it all happen." Vitani snarled towards her mother, looking back at Zira. "You made me sacrifice my dreams, my hopes, my childhood, my health, my world and myself. All for him. You even… Even sacrificed Nuka, your own son, my own brother, to him. And worst of all, you never loved either of us."

"It was always about putting Kovu on the throne, and you know that. Traitor though he is, he is still my favorite. He is still the chosen one."

A harsh, hateful laugh echoed around the quiet battlefield. Vitani shook her head and glared at Kovu. "Her favorite. You, a traitor, her favorite. I did everything she asked, no matter how distasteful or horrid. Did it all to show that I was a worthy fury. And you, you just need to breathe to be acceptable. I'll fix that right now!" Suddenly, Vitani lunged at Kovu, aiming for his throat.

"Disobedient wretch! Must I be surrounded by traitors? Die!" Zira abandoned her attempt at Nala, thundering her way over Kiara, Vitani and Kovu. She leaped at her daughter, battering her side with her head. The two fell into a tangled heap of flailing limbs, flashing claws and gnashing teeth.

The two scrapped and tumbled without much effect, as Kovu and Kiara looked on. Kiara looked over to the male who had spent so long courting her, to see how he reacted. There was… a smile on his face. A tiny grin, as his eyes focused on the two trying to kill each other. He had reason to despise both, she realized. His mother had tried to use him, and he had followed along, for his own gain. And he hated his sister… Because she genuinely loved the woman he needed to get in order to worm his way onto the peak of Pride Rock.

Something snapped in her. She suddenly had to protect Vitani. To make up for some small sliver of all the hurt she had caused. The very least she could do was push Zira away. She lunged, hard, catching Zira when she had pulled away from Vitani to prepare for a powerful pounce. How ironic. Kovu's training came in handy. She struck Zira with force that matched the swirling mix of emotions of emotions within her. All the anger and self-loathing, the shame at being led down a traditional path for nothing.

The slick mud and light weight of Zira's toned body made the attack travel quite a distance. All the way over a nearby cliff. Both lionesses barely had time to cry before they went out of sight. At a moment, Vitani was there, staring over the edge, to see that the two had dug their claws into the rocky face of the cliff, not too far down. Both were scratching hard with their hind legs, their claws unable to find purchase on any of the small juts. She could reach down and aid one up with her forelimbs and by the scruff. But with the pain of clawing and strain of pulling, she could never save both.

"Vitani! Save your mother! You must rescue me so that we may continue out glorious conquest!" Zira strained hard, attempting to pull herself up, her teeth gritting between each word.

"Vitani, please… Save me. Please Vitani… Don't let me die." Kiara looked up with huge, fearful eyes. Moist with tears, quivering slightly. A beautiful green.

"Don't listen to her! Remember what she did. Yes, daughter. I knew. I suspected. And then I knew. I know what she did. Don't save her. She'll just hurt you again. Be rid of her and we can sweep over the Prideland forces and take our rightful place."

"I know I hurt you. I did it by my choice. You're right to hate me. Curse me, spit at me, shove me off and leave me to die. But please show me you still care like you used to."

Her accursed, black heart burned, raked with the light of her feelings. The pain throbbed in her chest, surging through her body. She remembered. The meeting, the play, the kiss. The first day. The day she had come alive. But she also remembered the dark day. The cold words, the silent dismissal, the beginning of an obedience to the dictates of tradition. The day she had died. Life and death, from one being. All without thought. She never intended to bring life to a hopeless soul; and, Vitani wanted to believe most desperately, never meant to bring down ruination on the very same.

"You must save me! If for no other reason, if not for conquest or for glory, I am still your mother!" The furious cry echoed through the canyon that threatened to swallow up both hanging lionesses.

"Whatever you do…" Kiara said, quietly, contrite tears in her eyes, "I hope you remember what I do. That you saved my life that day."

Vitani stared down at Kiara in disbelief. "You knew?"

A smile. "I always knew."

There was no hesitation in the following movement. Vitani leaned down and offered her forelegs, while opening her mouth. Kiara gave one hard yank on the rocks her claws had caught and pulled herself up just slightly, losing all contact with the wall. Her paws came back down against Vitani's, and her nape was soon enough caught in Vitani's mouth. With much grunting and effort, Kiara was slowly dragged up onto the top of the cliff again.

Simba and Nala, along with Kovu, ran to the cliff side, the males eagerly watching Kiara's panting, trembling form.

"Kiara? Are you ok?" Temporarily forgetting the manner of his daughter's salvation, and what it meant about her orientation, Simba played the concerned dad, leaning in to look at his quivering little girl.

"I'm f-fine, daddy. Vitani was there for me." She sighed lightly and looked to the indicated lioness, a smile on her pretty face.

"Kiara… I'm so glad you're alright. I was worried that you might…" Kovu leaned down and very rudely nuzzles at Kiara's neck, looking up at Vitani with hate in his eyes, a look missed by the others.

Kiara seemed to lean into the nuzzling, getting slowly to her feet, with Kovu remaining pressed against her neck. She sat back on her haunches and lowered her head slightly, Kovu stepping away with a smile. Kiara looked up, no one speaking for the space of a few moments. Then Kiara reached up, apparently to caress Kovu's face. However, her paw shot out and viciously cuffed Kovu across the face, claws in. He fell to the side with a heavy thud, looking shocked at the surprising strength of the hit. "You touch me again, and I will tear your throat out with my own claws."

"What? Kiara? What are you..?" Kovu started getting up, a hurt, innocent look on her face.

"Save it. You never cared for me. Only my position. You lied to me, twisted my brain around, turned me into what you needed to get onto Pride Rock. Now get away from me. I can't stand the sight of you."

"How can you say that, Kiara? How could you possibly mean that?"

Kiara lifted up one of Vitani's forepaws. Deep claw marks dug into it, and blood lightly dripped from them. Her tough flesh wasn't, of course, indestructible. "Because you're not bleeding for me. You saw me fall. You stood there while Vitani was choosing. She injured herself for me. She's bleeding for me. She cared."

"No, no, come…"

"Just stop now, Kovu. It's over." Vitani leaned in and pressed her muzzle against Kiara's neck, rubbing gently with her eyes closed. She looked just… Relieved. All the weight of the world off her shoulders.

While all that was happening, Nala had walked away. On seeing that her daughter was alright, she went slowly over to the side of the cliff. There was Zira, clinging tight. Her life of desperate survival had left her strong enough to hold on for a good, long while. Certainly far longer than her daughter could have. "If I offered you my help, would you take it?"

Zira actually laughed, a surprisingly soft sound, almost a normal laugh, like any other lioness might make. She smiled up at Nala. Not her usual murderous grin. But a gentle expression. "You know that I can't. And you know why."

Nala chuckled softly, and nodded. "I knew it. Well, I guess we have to part. Kwaherii, Zira." With that, Nala turned slowly and began to walk away.

"Ninakupenda, Nala." Zira said it just loud enough to be heard by Nala, before there was a sound of scraping claws, followed soon enough by a splash into the river.

Nala cringed at hearing that, eyes squeezed tight, a little moisture at the corner of her eyes. "Ninakupenda, Zira. Ninakupenda."

- - -

"It's time, dearest. Are you ready?" Many days later. The two clans had finally come together as one. All the Outland lionesses now lived at Pride Rock. Simba, having finally understood what his daughter felt and how sincere she was, now allowed her to be together with Vitani. And had, at his mate's urgings, stepped down from his position, abdicating his position to grant it to his daughter. A young queen. But having been through so much in her life.

"I am." Kiara looked so terribly nervous. She was trembling, and breathing hard. Her claws reflexively flexed in and out as she paced the base of the great rock.

"Don't be so nervous, dearest. This will all go well. Just remember, be confident. Be strong." Nala leaned in and nuzzled at her daughter. "Now go. Go and take the place you desired."

Kiara gave one huge sigh, shook her head and started up. Each step was slow and deliberate, climbing up with a regal appearance. She hid her nervousness very well, not even trembling though she desired to. She could see the peak, and the baboon waiting for her. He was still employed, but knew better than to try to say anything at all. He was in deep trouble, so his job was to nod his head, do what little spiritual things he wanted to, and to no longer spread his propaganda.

Rafiki bowed, very low, eyes kept cast down to the ground. "Your highness."

Kiara looked out at the broad sweep of the Pridelands. Everything the light touched. That was all hers. She had been marked as the queen. Now only one thing remained. And butterflies in her stomach were fluttering as she contemplated it. "Now, where is..?"

"Hold it, Pridelander…" The command was firm, but the voice was soft. A bit of rough rumbling flowed through it, but that just made the voice stronger, richer, and far more lovely. A silky purr thrummed through the area, a heavy rumble of pure joy.

Kiara turned slowly, her breath growing even quicker as she saw what she was expecting. A thin-toned lioness, dark fur, dark-ringed eyes with deep blue irises. This was it. "What is it, Outlander?"

"It's not easy making friends in the Outlands. And I want to be friends with you, Kiara." She slid up to the other lioness, gliding her thin body against the queen. "I want to be… Special best friends with you, Kiara. Do you want to be my special best friend too?"

Kiara shivered a little bit, her eyes going half-lidded. She responded quietly, just a whisper of a word. "No."

"What?" Vitani halted in her rubbing, looking aside at Kiara. "No?"

"No. I don't want to be special best friends with you." She moved swiftly, bringing her face close to Vitani's. "I want to be your mate. Forever." Their lips pressed together, a shiver running through their bodies as they melded together as one.

A huge cheer rose up from the crowds arranged before Pride Rock who had been invited to see this. They watched the hunched figure near the pair, who, without much passion, threw a handful of dust over them, and then a handful of leaves, shaking his staff and saying, "I affirm you, Vitani, Princess Consort of the Pridelands. The bride of our queen…"

**~The End**


End file.
